Students across the region have been heading back to school, as members of the area’s school districts say they are looking forward to the new academic year.
Lynn Public Schools welcomed 216 new hires this year as the district returned to classes on Wednesday, Sept. 4.
Haley Karst, a new second-grade teacher at Lincoln-Thomson Elementary School, said she recently moved from New York and picked the district because its visions and goals resonated with her.
Karst said this is her first year leading a class, although she has experience as a substitute and student teacher.
She said she and her fellow teachers share the acronym “ROAR,” which stands for Responsibility, Ownership, Attitude, and Respect, with their students.
“It’s really all about taking those qualities and how we can use them to contribute to a positive and safe learning environment that we can all thrive in,” she said.
Karst said her goal as a teacher is to ensure students walk away at the end of the year with a sense of belonging.
“It’s not so much the physical space that they feel safe (in), which is of course a priority, but that they could always come back to this community and know that they belong here and that there are people here to help them and support them and love them,” she added.
After her first day of school, she said she feels like she already has an amazing bond with her students.
“It was the most amazing day ever,” she said.
In a statement, Assistant Director of Education Quality Debbie Morel welcomed new educators to the district and said it was exciting to see the eagerness they brought to their new-teacher orientation on Aug. 27.
“As a 25-year veteran who started in Lynn as a student teacher, it’s exciting to see all the new hires, from student teachers who were here last year to first-year teachers and veteran teachers from other districts, enter our community,” she said.
In Lynnfield, the school year started on Aug. 28 with smiles across the district.
“Overall, the first day was fantastic,” Superintendent Thomas Geary said. “There was a lot of energy and excitement at all four schools. I had many positive conversations with teachers and principals throughout the day, and there was great enthusiasm welcoming our students back in the buildings.”
He said he was present to greet students arriving at Lynnfield High School and both elementary schools — Huckleberry Hill Elementary and Summer Street School — in the mornings; at the dismissals for LHS, Summer Street, and Lynnfield Middle School; attended lunches at Huckleberry Hill and LMS; and went to athletic practices after school at LHS.
“Everywhere I went, the mood was upbeat,” Geary said.
Principals, curriculum directors, teachers, special-services staff, the Department of Educational Technology, the Department of Public Works, and other departments around the town “worked cohesively to ensure that we would have a great start to the new school year,” Geary said.
The middle-school student schedule has been revamped, allowing for more time for interventions and exploratory classes, and 14 new electives were added at the high school, he said.
“All of these impactful changes ensure that we are able to continue to provide excellence in education pre-K-12, and are vital, as they reflect our continued commitment to hiring the highest quality educators in the field in order to provide the best possible education,” he said.
At the new and staff orientation on Wednesday, Aug. 21, School Committee Chair Kate DePrizio said she was “struck by the enthusiasm and eagerness” the new hires had to join the district.
“Superintendent Geary said it best: ‘We have high expectations, but there is no better place to work than Lynnfield Public Schools. It is an honor to work here every day,’” she said.
DePrizio, a mother of four students ranging in age from pre-K to sixth grade, said her children were all excited to return to school.
“Each of them came home abuzz with stories about the day, but thoroughly exhausted,” she said. “It’s remarkable to see the growth and confidence that sixth grade brings.”
Peabody Public Schools welcomed its students back to school on Wednesday, Sept. 4.
The district underwent changes over the summer, Superintendent Dr. Josh Vadala said.
“We are excited to welcome our new staff as we do each year,” he said.
The district hired approximately 40 new teachers for the school year, which is a smaller amount than in previous years, he said.
This is due to the closure of Center Elementary School for renovations as well as “an overall positive trend in teacher-retention rates,” Dr. Vadala said.
As a result of the closure of the Center School for renovations, students have been relocated to the other seven elementary schools, he said.
“We are thankful to our staff and families for their flexibility during this time,” Dr. Vadala said. “The integrated preschool program will occupy the annex of the Center School, which is much newer than the main building. We are excited to have our integrated preschool program more centrally located within the city and believe it will be more accessible to students and their families.”
Dr. Vadala advised students to “embrace new challenges” during the school year.
“Each new school year offers us an opportunity for a fresh start and a new beginning,” he said. “Embrace the challenges and have high expectations for yourself and your classmates. Get involved with as many activities as you can.”
He encouraged students to start their school days “ready to learn” by visiting the cafeteria each morning for a free breakfast.
“I am most excited about welcoming students back to school,” Dr. Vadala said. “We’ve spent a great deal of time this summer developing programming, hiring new teachers, and making sure our facilities are ready to welcome them back. I can’t wait to see all the smiling faces of the students and their families on the first day of school.”
In Saugus, where students headed back to school on Tuesday, Aug. 27, School Committee Chairman Vincent Serino said he is excited about all of the new and returning staff in the district.
“We have the best teachers around,” Serino said. “We’ve got a great group of young teachers that have just come to Saugus.
“I’m really looking forward to student achievement this year — seeing the students really excel educationally,” he added.
The new enrichment programs, which were piloted at the Belmonte STEAM Academy and recently expanded there for the upcoming school year, excite Serino as well.
“It goes through high school, it goes through the middle school, and it goes through the elementary and early elementary… It gives the kids an opportunity if they want to spend more time on learning,” Serino said.
Recently, School Committee member John Hatch shared the district’s plans for the New England Institute for Prehospital Medicine program, which will help aspiring medical professionals and EMTs at the high-school level by having them engage with Alex, an AI robot that simulates a patient.
“We’re really excited about that,” Serino said, noting that the district has had around 25 students sign up for the program already.
He also spoke about new Athletic Director Matt Serino, who he said has a “wealth of knowledge.” Vincent Serino said that he expects interest in athletics to trickle down to the younger age groups as well.
“What we want to do… with sports… is get these kids involved where they’re meeting new friends, they hang out with new people, they try new experiences,” Vincent Serino said, adding that each department in the district has the same philosophy.
He also noted the recently renovated courtyard in front of the Belmonte STEAM Academy, saying that a lot of work went into it and that it is available now for use.
“A kid waiting for a ride, he doesn’t have to sit and wait in the street…. I think that’s a big asset. And I think, like the rest of our schools, I think we’ve grown,” Vincent Serino said.
“We’re really trying to make this a great learning environment,” he added.
